Page 46 of Obey

Pyre’s face pales. “Boar? What’re you gonna do with ‘em?”

Boar lets out a frustrated sound. “What’s it look like, idiot? We’re going to attach the manacles to the hook, and then we’re hoisting them up the tree. Then we’ll leave them dangling there until they die.”

“Don’t be a fucking idiot,” I tell Boar, weighing my options. “Our boss knows exactly where we are.”

Well, Lily does, and she’ll tell Silvano if we don’t check in soon.

Not that it helps us right now. We’ll be fly-riddled corpses before anyone would find us out here.

“And I keep telling you, I don’t give a shit what your boss knows.” Boar shoves Knives forward, and the chain between us pulls me along too.

Slim grabs the chain and pulls it down so the hook is within reach. I see the pulley system, how they’ll winch us up that tree and probably wrench our arms from their sockets.

It’s almost funny. Never, in all the ways I’ve thought I could possibly die, did I ever think any form of crucifixion would come into play.

“Get ready,” Knives whispers.

Oh, so now he wants to fight. Now that we’re cuffed and handicapped by the chain, he wants us to try to get out of this. I’d snap at him, but this is going to be our last chance. If we don’t pull this off, we’re dead either way.

Knives crouches down. I see the way his muscles bunch up underneath his sweat-soaked shirt.

Slim makes a noise and makes to hoist Knives up. “You ain’t getting out of this.”

Knives slams his head up and into Slim’s chin. Slim cries out; Knives snaps the chain over Slim’s throat, forcing my arm up too. I get behind Slim, my arm pressed against Knives’s, and help pull the chain taut.

“Back the fuck off,” Knives shouts, “Unless you want Slim here to?—”

“Shoot ‘em!” Boar roars.

A gun goes off, and Slim screams. Blood gushes from his mouth, and his body goes slack.

Fuck.

Knives curses and raises his hand to get the chain off Slim. He shoves the body forward.

I brace myself for another shot, but Knives grabs my hand and runs, yanking me around the tree.

I hiss in pain but don’t let it slow me down. We get on the other side of the tree, and I hear Pyre yelling, “What the fuck? What the fuck? Slim!”

“Leave ‘im!” Boar yells. “Get those two bastards!”

“The boat,” Knives hisses to me. “It’s our only chance.”

I nod to him, and we manage an awkward lope toward the boat. Another shot rings out, and I hear it whizzing past my ear. Fuck.

“These things start on a dime, right?” Knives asks as we jump into the boat. He unhooks the rope that was tying the boat to the little dock.

I notice a shotgun stashed under one of the seats and grab it—only for Knives to growl in annoyance. I can’t aim the gun without Knives’s arm also getting yanked around.

“How do you expect me to know that?” I snap at him, trying to situate us so he can start the boat. I line up the shotgun, not giving a damn that Knives has to work with one hand, and shoot.

It’s thankfully loaded. Boar and his men scatter to avoid getting hit, but Boar aims back at us.

Pyre is the only one holding back. He’s standing near Slim, slack-jawed. The gun is limp at his side.

I hope Boar doesn’t kill him for this, but it’s not my problem.

“Duck!” I yell, and I duck down. Knives does too, just before Boar shoots his gun. He’s rushing toward us, and it makes his aim dodgy.

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